1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques and systems for verifying and authenticating the signatures of well-known personalities. More particularly, the present invention relates to a comprehensive autograph authentication system that involves the cooperation of each signatory, a process for independent confirmation of the signing, and a tamper-proof labeling system unique for each autographed item.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The field of autograph collection is a significant one, involving the exchange of such collectibles for ever-increasing fees. The autographs of interest run the range from sports personalities to politicians. As might be expected, the price that can be charged for a particular autographed item is dependent upon the celebrity of the personality, the item, and the rarity of the autograph, among other parameters. Needless to say, the money associated with this activity has generated a substantial industry in forged signatures. In fact, there are likely more items available for purchase having forged or faked rather than authentic signatures thereon. The availability of forgeries or fakes necessarily harms the celebrity whose signature has been passed off, both in terms of reputation and financial loss. As importantly, it harms the consumer who purchases the item with the false belief that the signature is real. That person has expended money-sometimes a significant amountxe2x80x94in order to purchase a worthless product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,435 issued to DiCesare et al. describes a system for verifying the authenticity of an autograph. The DiCesare system requires a consumer to witness the signing of an item by a celebrity. A voucher is then provided to the consumer to confirm the authenticity of the signature pursuant to the observation. The voucher includes identifying information as well as a code number. The code number is also applied to the signed article. A database of verified signings is then developed and is accessible to confirm the authenticity of a signing of a particular item that has been cataloged. In that regard, DiCesare ensures that a consumer who has viewed an autographing by a celebrity of a particular item can prove to others the authenticity of the autograph.
Unfortunately, there are several key limitations to the DiCesare system. First, it either requires the consumer, or two witnesses, to be present at the signing of the item to establish the authenticity. In the first instance, this can be an extremely difficult part of the process in that celebrities tend to be busy and the intersection of their availability and that of the particular consumer is likely to be quite small. While one could argue that such a restriction could be minimized at an organized signing for example, such an approach is unlikely to be suitable for such events where the goal ordinarily is to have the signings proceed as rapidly as possible. In the second instance, there remains no assurance that the xe2x80x9cwitnessesxe2x80x9d are sufficiently reliable to ensure that they are not part of a scheme in which they claimed to have observed a celebrity signing that did not occur. That is, there still remains the possibility that a group of individuals will generate faked signed and witnessed items.
The witness reliability problem noted above leads to the second limitation of the DiCesare system. Specifically, there is insufficient reliability in the nature of the labeling system described in that patent. DiCesare fails to teach a verification system that ensures the labels themselves cannot be faked. There is no indication that the DiCesare system includes means for preventing a compromise of the integrity of the labeling. As a result, authentication labels could in turn be faked, rendering the whole system open to veracity complaints.
Therefore, what is needed is an autograph verification and authentication system that can establish with certainty that a celebrity has, in fact, signed a particular item. What is also needed is such a verification and authentication system that is sufficiently convenient for the celebrity and does not require the presence of the purchaser/holder of the signed item. Further, what is needed is an autograph verification and authentication system that includes tamper-proof means for establishing the authenticity of the signature. Moreover, what is needed is an autograph verification and authentication system that includes the step of having the celebrity sign an affidavit attesting to the signing of a specific item or set of items and having corresponding code associated therewith.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an autograph verification and authentication system that can establish with certainty that a celebrity has, in fact, signed a particular item. It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a verification and authentication system that is sufficiently convenient for the celebrity and does not require the presence of the purchaser/holder of the signed item. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an autograph verification and authentication system that includes tamper-proof means for establishing the authenticity of the signature. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an autograph verification and authentication system that includes the step of having the celebrity sign an affidavit attesting to the signing of a specific item or set of items and having corresponding code associated therewith.
These and other objects are achieved in the present invention by providing a comprehensive autograph verification and authentication system. The system includes the step of having a celebrity meet directly with a representative of a provider of the verification system of the present invention. At that time, upon having the celebrity sign an item or set of items, the representative affixes to the item a tamper-proof label unique to the item. The label is preferably created prior to the signing of the item or items but may alternatively be created at the time of the signing. The label includes two forms of coding. The first is a visible one that provides unique identifying information. The second one is not visible but is instead embedded within a hologram depiction and can only be observed by the authentication service provider. The label includes Information associated with the signing and that information is entered into a database of related information. The label may additionally include a pixelated kinetic matrix of a unique service provider image containing microtext information only readable by magnification. That matrix, in addition to the embedded information, ensures that the service provider is the only one able to read and qualify a particular portion of each label to verify its authenticity. This additional layer of protection ensures that counterfeiting cannot occur even if embedded information is not copied. Finally, the representative of the verification system provider obtains from the celebrity a signed statement that identifies the items(s) signed, the date and location of the signing, and reference to the label(s) affixed to the item(s). Having the celebrity sign a statement containing that information ensures that a specific item having a unique specific tamper-proof label is authentic.
In addition to the important step of having the celebrity sign a statement verifying the items signed, the tamper-proof label is an important aspect of the system of the present invention. Specifically, the label is designed to be destroyed or obviously altered in any attempt to remove it from the item. The label may be made of any damage-evident material but is preferably a hologram. In addition, the label includes digitally embedded coding, such as alphanumeric coding that is uniquely associated with the particular signed item. That coding may include the name of the celebrity, the date and location of the signing, and a sequential identifier unique to that label. The label may also include a portion of the noted information, preferably not including the unique sequential code, that is observable by the item owner without requiring special reading equipment. It is important to note that each signed item have a single unique code associated therewith to establish with certainty the uniqueness of that signed item.
The database of information related to the signed item and its associated coding is a preferred means to ensure consumers that an autograph is authentic. Specifically, using well-known database development means, a representative of the verification system provider records the details of a particular signing and the embedded coding applied to the labeling for the item. In addition, the names and addresses of witnesses to the signing may be included, as well as the information related to the signed affidavit from the celebrity, which affidavit is retained in a secured facility. The database may then be accessed by the system provider in order to confirm or refute the authenticity of a signed item, which access must be accompanied by a scanning of the label applied to the item. This database may be particularly useful if and when a particular signed item is transferred from one owner to another and the second owner wishes to verify the authenticity of the signature. That second purchaser may retain the service provider to access the database, review the item and its label, and establish with substantial certainty the authenticity of the autograph. Additionally, the celebrity may access the database to verify specific signings as desired.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following description and the accompanying drawing.